Review: Nikon Coolpix S800C compact

Reviewed by Terry Lane

The low-down: This compact camera with a 16-megapixel sensor is fitted with an optical zoom giving a range of 25mm-250mm in 35mm terms. The camera's claim to fame is it is ''powered by Android'' - in other words, it uses the Google operating system to blur the distinction between a camera and a phone, but coming from the camera direction for a change. The excellent 8.7-centimetre touchscreen LCD is a responsive capacitive device that feels like a phone in use. The point of the Android operating system is to give constant connection to the internet whenever the camera is within wi-fi range. Apps are built in for transfer of files to Dropbox, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo and so on. GPS is included and the camera can double as a satnav device.

Like: The image quality is good, with the exception of unpredictable auto white balance. The Android interface will be immediately familiar to anyone who uses an Android phone, so the learning curve is not steep. Set-up is easy.

Dislike: File transfers are slow. And according to the GPS, we live 4500 metres under the ocean off the coast of Africa, yet when we run Maps for satnav the positioning is spot on. Weird!

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Verdict: The big question is: why? The concept of using the Android OS in a camera works well enough, but who needs it? Undoubtedly this camera is a fightback against the smartphone, which is devastating the low-end compact-camera business, and it has one advantage over the phone - image quality. Bottom line: a good compact at a reasonable price and you might enjoy playing with Android.